Adding Politics to Your WWII Game

Political Event Table

by John Gilmer

Using the Political Event Table (below)

A simple system is suggested, in which each country's leaning is rated as shown above from 0 (Axis) to 10 (Allied). From initial values in 1939, these would be affected by various events as they occur. The Political Event Table is suggested as a point of departure. There are probably other events you can think of which could be added, but this is a start.

Pressure

Short of invasion, a major power can exert "pressure" on another nation, seeking to influence it. Pressure in the form of resources, privileges, or aid will have to be specific to the game system, and might add a modifier to the basic "pressure" die roll. (The "World in Flames" game uses resource points; other possibilities might include territory.) When pressure is asserted, the subject country's political status changes as follows with respect to the pressuring side:


    1: +2
    2: +1
    3: 0
    4: -1
    5: -2
    6: -3

It should not be possible for a given side to do this more than once per year to a specific country.

Responses to invasion are not necessarily automatic either. By invasion, a determination to occupy the country, exerted at least at first with diplomatic force, is meant. The issue might actually be decided just prior to announcement of accommodation, or in the armed reaction to actual incursion. In game terms, a player announces that he is not going to allow the country to remain neutral; his army is going in one way or the other. The following is a sampling of what an invasion response table might look like.

Note that what "reduced effectiveness" means will need to be defined in particular game terms. It suggests diminished enthusiasm, which would limit deployments of troops very far from home territories, if at all. A "Dissolves" result means that the army of the country evaporates, for practical purposes. These tables would apply only to minor countries, not Great Powers (Britain, France, Germany, USSR, USA, Japan).

    A =Becomes Allied
    A* = Becomes Allied at reduced effectiveness
    D =Dissolves
    D* = Dissolves into mutually antagonistic units
    G =Becomes German ally
    G* = Becomes German ally at reduced effect.
    F =Fights
    F* = Fights at reduced effectiveness

This or similar tables may apply to Belgium, Hungary, Greece, and possibly Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Turkey, and Spain.

Countries with less self confidence, governments with "realistic" outlooks, or internal divisions short of the Yugoslavian model might look like (at right):

Other countries that might use this table could include Netherlands and Norway. Spain and Italy might be better placed in this group.

Countries that are prone to fall apart or make no resistance may have a table like this (at right):

Table

Adding Politics to Your WWII Game A Model

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